By Chief Mase
Miami, Florida—We are mourning the death and murder of our African sister, Skylar Heath, who was lynched on November 4, 2020. Her friends and family described Skylar as a “kind and gentle soul” who “had such a love for family and close friends” and who “loved people in general.” She had a “warm personality” and a “friendly spirit” and brought people who knew her “so much joy.”
It’s reported that 2020 recorded the highest number of deaths ever among Colonized trans women, with more than 40 cases, not including all of the deaths that go unreported. As Colonized people living under this hell, we know that the colonial state doesn’t respect the lives of our trans and non-binary comrades, or any Colonized person, so they sure as hell aren’t going to respect us when we are murdered at the hands of the very system that the colonizer built.
This manifests itself in the colonial state and media sources misgendering our trans and non-binary comrades and calling them by their dead-name even after their lynching. Even with this year having the highest reported number of deaths to Colonized trans women, there is still no accurate reporting on the number. We know that amerikkka has claimed many more than just 40 of our trans comrades’ lives this year.
As Principle of Unity #3 tells us,
We believe all the problems the colonized face are from colonialism and the submissive neocolonialists that are within our colonized nations.
It is this parasitic colonial system and the submissive neocolonial sellouts that uphold it that breeds transphobia and violence against our non-binary and trans siblings. We must truly internalize that this atrocious symptom of violence towards our comrades cannot be solved by navigating within the same colonial system that gave birth to all of these contradictions in our communities.
To fight transphobia and non-binary discrimination, abuse, and violence, we must materially dismantle this colonial hell from our lives and our minds. We must attack the colonizer in our head just as fiercely as we attack the colonial system around us, just as fiercely as colonialism attacks us.
Only then will we be able to live in a world where no one lives at the expense of another.
A world where everyone upholds Black Hammer’s Principle of Unity #2:
We believe all Colonized Proletariat are equal; no matter gender, sexuality, age, body type, location, religion, language, mental/physical differences and/or bi/multiracial identity.
A world where our colonized trans and non-binary comrades aren’t murdered at the hands of the colony but become the leaders of a liberated world. Our Principle of Unity #4 tells us that our colonized trans siblings, like all poor and working-class Colonized people, are the only true leaders who can destroy Colonialism once and for all.
We believe that the Colonized Proletariat is the only true proletariat. Only through our leadership can white power, capitalism, colonialism, imperialism and all its symptomatic offspring be smashed.
As the colony takes another one of our people, it is our responsibility to avenge Skylar, alongside all of the Colonized people who fell to the same fate. We keep their names in our mouths to remind us that they did not die in vain, that we will overturn the hell on Earth that colonialism has forced on our people.
Rest in Power, Skylar Heath, and all other Colonized people taken by the hands of colonialism.
In your names, we will gain freedom in our lifetime.
Land back!
